| Objective:To observe the changes of the clinical symptoms of patients with functional diarrhea before and after being treated by acupuncture and compare the differences of the therapeutical effects between choosing to use the upper limb distal acupuncture points (front mu points matching with he-sea points) and the lower limb distal acupuncture points (front mu points matching with lower he-sea points) based on the comparison between the therapeutical effects between the distal acupoint matching method (front mu points matching with he-sea points and front mu points matching with lower he-sea point) and the adjacent acupoint matching method (front mu points matching with back-shu points) so as to elaborate the functions and rules of the inherent characteristics of the acupoints in affecting and determining the therapeutical effect of acupuncture and provide basis for the clinical selection of acupoints for functional diarrhea.Method:The researching scheme of randomized control was adopted and the cases were selected through strictly according to the integrating standard, exclusion standard, and stripping off standard. These cases were divided into three groups according to randomized number tables, that is,22 cases in the group of front mu points and he-sea points,20 cases in the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, and 22 cases in the group of front mu points and back-shu points, altogether 64 cases. The Tianshu points on both sides and Quchi points on both sides were acupunctured in the group of front mu points and he-sea points, the Tianshu points on both sides and the Upper Juxu points on both sides were acupunctured in the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, and the Tianshu points on both sides and the Dachangshu points on both sides were acupunctured in the group of front mu points and back-shu points.The period for observation lasted for altogether nine weeks, among which the baseline period lasted for one week, the treatment period lasted for four weeks, and the follow-up period lasted for four weeks, too. Some therapeutical indexes, that is, weekly stool frequency (the times of the automatic stool without taking defecation medicines or adopting any manipulation therapy), feces character scores (determined according to the Bristol feces character classification), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and self-rating depression scale (SDS), had been observed four weeks after the ending of the baseline period and the completion of the treatment. The rules for selection and utilization of acupoints for treating functional diarrhea through acupuncture are elaborated by analyzing the differences in the clinical symptoms and psychological evaluation indexes of the patients in the early, late and long-term phase.Result:1. Times of stools:The weekly times of stools of the patients in the group of front mu points and he-sea points, the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, and the group of front mu points and back-shu points were all reduced to some degree during the treatment period and the follow-up period compared to those in the baseline period (P<0.01); during the treatment period, the average weekly time of stools of the patients in the group of front mu points and back-shu points was larger than that of those in the group of front mu points and he-sea points and the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points (P<0.05), but there was no differences in the average weekly time of stools between the patients in the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points and those in the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points; and during the follow-up period, there was no difference among the average weekly times of stool of the patients in the group of front mu points and he-sea points, the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, the group of front mu points and back-shu points under comparison (P>0.05).Therefore, the acupuncture acupoints matching method has instant and long-term therapeutic effects in reducing the weekly times of stool of the patients with functional diarrhea in the three groups of front mu points with he-sea points, front mu points with lower he-sea points, and front mu points with back-shu points with the instant therapeutical effects of the group of front mu points and he-sea points and the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points better than that of the group of front mu points and back-shu points plus that the three groups had similar long-term therapeutical effects.2. Feces character scores:The average weekly feces character scores of the patients in the group of front mu points and he-sea points, the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, and the group of front mu points and back-shu points were all reduced to some degree during the treatment period and the follow-up period compared to those during the baseline period (P<0.01); but no differences existed as the results of the comparisons of the average weekly feces character scores of the patients in the three groups of front mu points with he-sea points, front mu points with lower he-sea points, and front mu points with back-shu points during the treatment period and the follow-up period. Therefore, the acupuncture acupoints matching method has instant and long-term therapeutic effects in reducing the weekly feces character scores of the patients with functional diarrhea in the three groups of front mu points with he-sea points, front mu points with lower he-sea points, and front mu points with back-shu points in addition that the three groups had similar therapeutical effects.3. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS):The average SAS scores of the patients in the group of front mu points and he-sea points, the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, and the group of front mu points and back-shu points were all reduced to some degree during the treatment period compared to those during the baseline period (P<0.01); while during the treatment period, the average SAS scores of the patients in the group of front mu points and back-shu points were all larger than those in the group of front mu points and he-sea points and the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points (P<0.05), but no differences among the average SAS scores of the patients existed as the results of the comparison between the group of front mu points and he-sea points and the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points (P>0.05). Therefore, the acupuncture acupoints matching method has the therapeutic effects in improving the anxiety status of the patients with functional diarrhea in the three groups of front mu points with he-sea points, front mu points with lower he-sea points, and front mu points with back-shu points in addition that the therapeutic effects in the group of front mu points and he-sea points and the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points were better than those in the group of front mu points and back-shu points.4. Self-rating depression scale (SDS):The average SDS scores of the patients in the group of front mu points and he-sea points, the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, and the group of front mu points and back-shu points were all reduced to some degree during the treatment period compared to those during the baseline period (P<0.01); while during the treatment period, no differences among the average SDS scores of the patients existed as the results of the comparison among the three groups of front mu points with he-sea points, front mu points with lower he-sea points, and front mu points with back-shu points (P>0.05). Therefore, the acupuncture acupoints matching method has the therapeutic effects in improving the depression status of the patients with functional diarrhea in the three groups of front mu points with he-sea points, front mu points with lower he-sea points, and front mu points with back-shu points in addition that the therapeutic effects in the three groups were similar to each other. Conclusion:1. In the aspect of clinical effect:Application of acupuncture to the group of front mu points and he-sea points, the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points, and the group of front mu points and back-shu points could all have the therapeutic effects of improving stool times, characters as well as anxiety or depression status on the condition of diarrhea.2. Comparison between distal acupoint matching and adjacent acupoint matching:According to the results of the comparisons between the adjacent acupoint matching (the group of front mu points and back-shu points) and adjacent acupoint matching combined with distal acupoints (the group of front mu points and he-sea points as well as the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points), adjacent acupoint matching combined with distal acupoints was only better than adjacent acupoint matching in the aspect of improving weekly feces stool times while no significant differences existed between the two in the aspects of improving the feces characters and long-term therapeutical effects.3. Comparison between the upper limb distal acupoints matching and lower limb distal acupoints matching:As shown by the comparison between the upper limb distal acupoints matching (the group of front mu points and he-sea points) and lower limb distal acupoints matching (the group of front mu points and lower he-sea points), no significant distinctions existed between the two in therapeutical effects. |
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